


Lallybroch B&B: The Beginning

by thetranquilteal (dragonBug27)



Series: Lallybroch B&B [1]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bed & Breakfast, F/M, Lallybroch, One Shot, QLPromptExchange, Queerlander, prompt exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 15:55:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15076595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonBug27/pseuds/thetranquilteal
Summary: Prompt #16: Lallybroch becomes the first LGBTQ friendly B&B in the Highlands specializing in weddings and holiday adventures.





	Lallybroch B&B: The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> The story that I ended up telling is a little different than I had originally intended. On a long drive home, I found myself inspired to tell a story showcasing the important role those who don’t identify as queer have to play in the lives of those who do. My intention is not to tell a story where straights fix queer problems (that would make for both a terrible and offensive story) but instead to tell a story about how every person on this planet has a role to play in the creation of a just and equal society where not only personal friends and family members are accepted for who they are and have the ability to feel safe in that knowledge but where everyone can experience such a life. Communication and education are, in my opinion, incredible tools that can be used to bridge the gap between hegemonic and queer and help make that happen. This is, ultimately, what this story is about.

They say that motherhood comes naturally, but Claire had always assumed it was something brought on by the child birthing process. She had certainly never expected motherhood to find her when then-twelve year old Fergus walked through the door of the manor house and into her life. In the two years that had passed since that day, Claire often found herself considering certain things and making decisions in ways she had never experienced before. The idea to make Lallybroch the first LGBTQ friendly B&B in the highlands - specialising in weddings and holiday adventures - was one of these occasions.

Claire had always known Fergus leaned towards an LGBTQ identity, something that was solidified by a conversation Jamie had with Fergus while working in the fields one afternoon. She wasn’t privy to the exact details of their conversation, but Jamie had briefed her later that night as they sat by the fire in the family room long after Fergus had retired to his room. Neither she nor Jamie had made identity - sexual or otherwise - a focus of discussion in their relationship with their adopted son. He was still young and both of them could relate to that period in your life when you’re unsure of exactly who you are, and any label or definition that might feel right at one point may not later on. Instead, they made sure Fergus knew he was a part of their small family and he could discuss such things with them any time he wished.

While her love for Fergus may have been the backbone of her decision, she could actually  thank the homophobic assholes down at the Broch Mordha Motel for making her consider it to begin with.

Claire and Jamie had travelled to Broch Mordha for the famous community farmers market that ran on the first Saturday of every month to gather produce that they didn’t grow at home. It was a rare occurrence for Jamie to join her in her shopping duties and Claire revelled in the time they spent browsing the stalls together. Pausing to look at a selection of homewares at the last stall on their way out, they found themselves abruptly dragged into a conservation between the stallholders and the MacKenzies of Broch Mordha Motel.

“I dinna see why accommodation holders should have to entertain such guests!” Hobart MacKenzie had claimed. “D’ye no agree, Fraser?”

“Apologies, MacKenzie,” responded Jamie, “But I dinna ken what yer talking about.”

“The bloody queers, Fraser! Travelling up here from the city!” Hobart huffed. “Bringing their outrageous clothing, their music, and their ‘partners’ up into the Highlands. I was just telling Susan here about the couple we had stay last weekend. If I had kent who they were before they arrived, I would have cancelled their booking but I couldna afford to lose a night’s rate as it is. But, it’s not right, I tell ye!”

“Excuse me,” said Claire. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn, a tell tale sign to anyone around her that the anger she was feeling at hearing such a speech was about to boil over. “But--”

“We dinna have time to stop and chat,” Jamie interrupted. “We best be getting our produce home as soon as possible, Mrs. Crook will be eagerly awaitin’ us, eh?”

Jamie placed his hand on Claire’s arm and steered her away from the stall.

“Why didn’t you say something, Jamie?” Claire asked once they were out of earshot of those they had left behind. “Or let _me_ saying something?”

“It isna the place to be fightin’ such battles, Sassenach.” Jamie said gently, turning his head to look at her. “I ken ye wanted to say something to the MacKenzies, but we dinna need to be causing trouble. The people in these parts are stuck in their ways and telling them anything different isna goin’ to change anything. No matter how much ye want it to.”

“What if they had have been talking about Fergus like that?” Claire stopped and glared at him. “Or any other of the children we might have in the future? Would you have me not cause any ‘trouble’ then, either?”

“They wouldna dare, Claire.” Jamie scoffed, putting his arm around her waist and leading her to the car. “I think by now everyone in the Highlands kens what happened to the last person who dared to take on a member of my family.”

“I know,” Claire lowered her voice, “But not everyone has a six foot highlander to stand between them and the close minded people who live in these parts, do they?”

Although nothing more was said on the way home to Lallybroch, the conversation that occurred at the market stayed in Claire’s mind.

Claire and Jamie had recently taken over the Lallybroch Estate from his sister Jenny and her husband Ian, who had been keen to pack up and move to be closer to their eldest son and his new family in Edinburgh. In typical Highland fashion, the Lallybroch B&B was still being run the same way it had been for generations past. The management of the property had always run smoothly and the Fraser’s deemed it unwise to ‘fix’ something that wasn’t already ‘broken’.

But Claire was never one for keeping with tradition. If anything, she was one for crossing every line, challenging every rule, and breaking every glass ceiling she came across. It said a lot about her relationship with Jamie that he wasn’t at all surprised when late one night she abruptly sat up in bed and suddenly declared her to change things.

“That sounds wonderful, Sassenach.” Jamie laughed, “But, for now, come to bed, eh?”

“To bed?” Claire raised her eyebrow, “ ... or to sleep?”

Jamie didn’t respond but simply wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her on top of him.

 

\-----

 

The first thing Claire did the very next morning was start her research into all things LGBTQ tourism related. She wasn’t sure what exactly she wanted or perhaps _needed_ to do but if her years at Oxford University had taught her anything, it was that information was key to success. At a single glance online, it was glaringly obvious that those who identified as LGBTQ were not only limited in accommodation that openly welcomed them in the Highlands, but that same-sex marriages and associated celebrations were regularly omitted by travel organisations and hospitality websites.

After scribbling down a few last notes, Claire picked up her notebook and went to find Jamie in his office. She found him sitting at his desk, massaging his left hand with his right. Walking lightly across the room, Claire pressed her lips to his neck in a soft kiss and slid onto his lap. She took his hand in hers and took over massaging it for him.

“And to what do I owe this pleasure, Sassenach?” Jamie kissed her. “Not that I’m one to complain.”

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to get married here in the Highlands?” She and Jamie had held a small ceremony in the outskirts of London with just a few friends. Neither of them ever regretted the choice they made but there was no denying that the Highlands were an ideal location for a wedding.

“Ye mean renew our vows? I havena thought about it but I wouldna say no, Claire. Not to you. Ever.” He slid his free hand up the back of shirt and caressed her bare skin.

“No, although I wouldn’t mind that either one day,” Claire smiled, “I mean, what it would be like to get married in the Highlands if you were a same-sex couple or perhaps identified as something completely different? I can't help but wonder, what if Fergus found his soulmate but felt like he couldn't bring that person here, get _married_ here? This is his home, Jamie. I can't stand the thought of him - or anyone else - feeling like they're unwelcome here.”

Claire sighed, attempting to gather her emotions. A sense of home was always a subject that resonated deeply with her. Having become an orphan at a young age and then travelling around the world with her Uncle Lamb for most of her youth, Claire had always longed for a sense of home. She had found that with Jamie, and taking over the Lallybroch Estate had solidified that feeling for her.

“This is really important to ye, isn't it Claire?” Jamie gently leaned his forehead against hers.

“There’s a conference on ‘inclusive hospitality’ in London coming up that I want to attend … would you like to come with me? They do offer live online broadcasts for those who are in remote locations but I was thinking it’s been a little while since you and I have been truly alone ... ” Claire bit her lip and fluttered her eyes.

“I would never say ‘no’ to some alone time with ye, Claire,” Jamie laughed. “But, aye, that conference sounds verra interesting. Just let me know the dates and I’ll schedule it.”

 

\-----

 

Adding meetings with the head coordinator of the nearest LGBTQ organisation to her already busy schedule that included part-time shifts at the Broch Mordha Health Clinic, being available to greet guests coming and going from the estate and keeping an eye on Fergus, Claire had little time for anything else.

As a result, she came to appreciate every moment she and Jamie spent together. Tonight they sat on the front steps of the Manor House, a Fraser tartan blanket wrapped around them, each nursing a bottle of Thistly Cross cider.

Jamie glanced up at the stars and took a deep breath.

“I owe ye an apology, Sassenach.”

Claire remained silent, giving Jamie the time and space to gather his words.

“This project of yers, making Lallybroch the first LGBTQ friendly B&B in the Highlands… I thought you were doing it for yerself. For Fergus too, of course, but I mostly thought this was you processing having never had a stable home before we met.”

“What changed your mind?” Claire asked curiously, switching her bottle of cider into the other hand so that she could hold his.

“As ye ken, I went out making deliveries with Rupert this morning and the entire drive he kept trying to encourage me - us - to change our minds about openly welcoming people who identified as LGBTQ to Lallybroch. The things he was saying, Claire …” Jamie turned to look at her. “He wasn't even talking about _me_ and I couldna bear to listen to it. Things like how our regular clientele would start avoiding our B &B, that we would be exposing Fergus to all sorts of things, he even insinuated that we were bad parents for doing so.” 

Jamie lifted his bottle of cider to his lips and swallowed another mouthful.

“He's wrong. He's _so_ wrong. But what could I say? I was speechless to be honest with ye. I couldna make those deliveries fast enough just so I could get home. I thought that Fergus or any young bairns we had in the future having to face such opinions was bad enough. But then I realised that the prospect of our children _holding_ such opinions is even worse.” 

“It seems like Lallybroch is the topic of choice at the moment,” Claire sighed. “I spoke with Fergus today. He told me that some of the children at his high school were asking him questions about whether or not the things their parents were saying was true.”

“What exactly were they saying?”

“He didn’t say, but I got the impression is was a little too close to Rupert’s opinion for comfort.”

“Aye. I best have a talk with Fergus tomorrow. I think the more information he has about what we’re doing the better. I dinna want our decision as a family affecting the time he spends with others away from Lallybroch.”

Claire tilted her head to lean against Jamie’s shoulder.

“Did you ever imagine us doing this? Being parents, I mean?”

“Aye. From the moment I laid eyes on ye for the first time, with yer pink scrubs on and yer curls let loose around yer face after a long shift at the hospital, I knew I wanted to hold our bairn in my arms.”

“Oh, you did not!” Claire exclaimed, nudging him with her elbow.

“No,” Jamie laughed. “Truth is I just can't remember a time that I didn't imagine having bairns with ye.”

Claire sat there silently, staring out into the distance.

“I’m sorry, Sassenach. I didnae mean to make ye uncomfortable.”

“No, I…”

This time it was Jamie’s turn to wait patiently.

“We should. Have a baby.”

Never one to waste words, Jamie pressed his lips against Claire's, discarded both their bottles of cider and swept her off the front step and into the house.

 

\-----

 

Claire couldn’t believe it. After weeks and months of dedicating their time and energy into implementing changes to the Lallybroch B&B, they were finally ready. They were well aware that their ultimate goal wasn’t complete, that Claire would continue her research for a long time to come. But, today marked a point in their journey not only as the owners of Lallybroch, but also their journey as a family.

Claire stood proudly on the front steps, Jamie on her right with an arm around her shoulders and Fergus on her left.

“Make sure to get the sign in the photo, aye, Jenny?” Jamie said , referring to the brand new “International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) Approved” sign near the door.

“Och, ye dinna need to be reminding me to do such things brother!” Jenny waved his comment away. “Claire, I just need ye to show off that round belly and it will be perfect.”

Claire glanced down and cradled her baby bump with both hands. She looked up into the camera lense, imagining what awaited all four of them in the future. The image she pictured might not be the clearest, in fact it was too blurry to make out the finer details but it was one she hoped not only she, Jamie and their children could enjoy and be proud of but so could all of those who walked under the stone arch into the Lallybroch B&B.

Claire smiled. To her, that was the most perfect thing of all.

  



End file.
